In laundry machines, such as washers and dryers, clothes are commonly tumbled and spun in a rotating drum. In washing machines, clothes are agitated and washed within water that flows into the drum, and spun in the drum to remove water. In dryers, wet clothes are tumbled in a drum at heated temperatures to remove the water from the clothes. The drum is commonly cylindrical and configured to spin on an axis with respect to the base of the washer or dryer.
In both washers and dryers, it may be important to monitor the condition of the clothes within the rotating drum. Placing sensors within the drum is an accurate way to measure conditions and obtain useful data, including temperature of the water or clothes, moisture content, smoke, speed, cleanliness of water (turbidity), as well as other information and conditions. In current laundry machines, however, powering and communicating with sensors within the rotating drum may be difficult.
One obstacle to monitoring sensors within the drum in current laundry machines is managing the required wired connections. Each sensor requires one or more wires to power the sensor and communicate a signal back to a central processor. The wires must be run from the base of the washer or dryer, through the drum axis, and into the drum. The wires are often harnessed together and run as a bundle through the axis. However, this type of connection scheme is problematic due to damage that may occur to the wires or inconsistent voltage readings that may be caused by the movement of the drum. Further, running the wires through the axis may weaken the axis increase the chances of structural damage to the machine. Moreover, replacing and repairing any damage to wires within the harness or within the drum axis may be exceedingly complex and difficult.
Accordingly, an improved power and signal communication scheme for sensors within a laundry machine is needed.